Dual-Track Digital Affordance Framework for Enhancement of Willingness to Communicate in Chinese EFL Contexts

Abstract

This study examines how WeChat and MOOCs differentially enhance Chinese EFL learners’ in‑class willingness to communicate (WTC), addressing persistent gaps in comparing language learning between social-media‑supported environments and learning management systems. Grounded in Affordance Theory, it proposes a dual‑track framework that distinguishes between affective‑social (WeChat) and cognitive‑structural (MOOCs) pathways. A 10‑week quasi‑experimental mixed‑methods design with 135 undergraduates compared three groups: a WeChat‑supported group, a MOOCs‑supported group, and a conventional instruction group. ANCOVA results (adjusting for pre-test WTC and English proficiency) showed that the WeChat group significantly boosted post‑test WTC (M= 153.98) compared with the control group (M= 143.76, p= .023), whereas the MOOCs group yielded moderate, non‑significant gains (M= 151.93). Qualitative analysis showed that WeChat’s low‑social‑presence features (voice messaging and asynchronous group interaction) reduced anxiety and built peer cohesion, benefiting learners across WTC levels. Conversely, MOOCs’ cognitive‑structural affordances supported content mastery but imposed excessive load on lower‑proficiency learners and lacked real‑time social interaction, thereby limiting WTC translation into classroom practice. The findings advocate a sequenced integration: MOOCs for pre‑class cognitive scaffolding and WeChat for post‑class affective‑social activation. This dual‑track model advances Affordance Theory in EFL contexts and offers concrete pedagogical guidance for optimising mobile‑assisted WTC development.